John Cook's Venture Blog

• Software CEO facing charges after bison hunt

  Back in May, I reported on the strange tale of Attachmate CEO Jeff Hawn who was charged with multiple counts of animal cruelty after paying hunters to kill 32 bison that had wandered onto his Colorado ranch. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 12, 2008, 11:39am EDT
  

• Software CEO facing charges after bison hunt

  Back in May, I reported on the strange tale of Attachmate CEO Jeff Hawn who was charged with multiple counts of animal cruelty after paying hunters to kill 32 bison that had wandered onto his Colorado ranch. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 12, 2008, 10:39am EDT
  

• Big Fish Games hooks $83 million venture deal

  Big Fish Games has reeled in the biggest venture financing deal in the state this year. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 12, 2008, 1:01am EDT
  

• Big Fish Games hooks $83 million venture deal

  Big Fish Games has reeled in the biggest venture financing deal in the state this year. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 12, 2008, 12:01am EDT
  

• Report: Bezos puts money behind Finsphere, Aviary

  ValleyWag reports that Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos has sunk money into Bellevue's Finsphere and New York's Aviary [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 11, 2008, 5:18pm EDT
  

• Report: Bezos puts money behind Finsphere, Aviary

  ValleyWag reports that Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos has sunk money into Bellevue's Finsphere and New York's Aviary [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 11, 2008, 4:18pm EDT
  

• Pogue on Earth Class Mail

  Following up on a review of Seattle's Earth Class Mail from earlier this month, David Pogue of The New York Times today offers exceprts from letters from readers who sent postal mail to the columnist's account with the company. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 11, 2008, 12:24pm EDT
  

• Pogue on Earth Class Mail

  Following up on a review of Seattle's Earth Class Mail from earlier this month, David Pogue of The New York Times today offers exceprts from letters from readers who sent postal mail to the columnist's account with the company. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 11, 2008, 11:24am EDT
  

• Roundup: Ontela, Medio, PayScale, etc.

  NCsoft Corp., the Korean developer of massively muliplayer online games, is establishing a new subsidiary for the U.S. and European markets that will be headquartered in Seattle. The new unit -- tentatively dubbed NC West -- will be led by Chris Chung, Jeff Strain, David Reid and Patrick Wyatt. Chung [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 10, 2008, 5:12pm EDT
  

• Roundup: Ontela, Medio, PayScale, etc.

  NCsoft Corp., the Korean developer of massively muliplayer online games, is establishing a new subsidiary for the U.S. and European markets that will be headquartered in Seattle. The new unit -- tentatively dubbed NC West -- will be led by Chris Chung, Jeff Strain, David Reid and Patrick Wyatt. Chung [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 10, 2008, 4:12pm EDT
  

• Seattle mobile game companies merge

  Seattle-area mobile gaming startups Reaxion Corp. and Mobliss Inc. are merging as they try to survive a consolidation wave in the industry caused by weak growth. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 10, 2008, 1:02am EDT
  

• Seattle mobile game companies merge

  Seattle-area mobile gaming startups Reaxion Corp. and Mobliss Inc. are merging as they try to survive a consolidation wave in the industry caused by weak growth. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 10, 2008, 12:02am EDT
  

• TechCrunch50: Swype is new way to type

  At a product demonstration event hosted by the MIT Venture Lab three months ago, Swype won over judges (I was among them) with a new technology that allowed mobile phone users to input text using a finger by drawing lines between letters on a keypad. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 09, 2008, 5:00pm EDT
  

• TechCrunch50: Swype is new way to type

  At a product demonstration event hosted by the MIT Venture Lab three months ago, Swype won over judges (I was among them) with a new technology that allowed mobile phone users to input text using a finger by drawing lines between letters on a keypad. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 09, 2008, 4:00pm EDT
  

• Can Washington state displace Silicon Valley?

  California's venture capital market is about 10 times bigger than Washington's, both in terms of deals and dollars.' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 09, 2008, 12:37pm EDT
  

• Can Washington state displace Silicon Valley?

  California's venture capital market is about 10 times bigger than Washington's, both in terms of deals and dollars. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 09, 2008, 11:37am EDT
  

• Roundup: SpinSpotter, SVB, Plug-in cars, etc.

  Silicon Valley Bank has established a new life science practice in the Pacific Northwest under the direction of Rob Derry, a board member of the Washington Biotechnology and Biomedical Association who before joining SVB worked in sales at Onyx Software. With five percent of the total venture capital pool in [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 09, 2008, 11:31am EDT
  

• Roundup: SpinSpotter, SVB, Plug-in cars, etc.

  Silicon Valley Bank has established a new life science practice in the Pacific Northwest under the direction of Rob Derry, a board member of the Washington Biotechnology and Biomedical Association who before joining SVB worked in sales at Onyx Software. With five percent of the total venture capital pool in [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 09, 2008, 10:31am EDT
  

• Venture investors pour cash into clean tech

  Venture investments in clean tech soared 41 percent during the second quarter to $961.7 million, with The Associated Press reporting that 38 percent of the capital is going to later-stage companies. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 09, 2008, 7:52am EDT
  

• Venture investors pour cash into clean tech

  Venture investments in clean tech soared 41 percent during the second quarter to $961.7 million, with The Associated Press reporting that 38 percent of the capital is going to later-stage companies. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 09, 2008, 6:52am EDT
  

• Seattle's top Internet properties for August

  Sampa's Marcelo Calbucci offers his latest installment of the top Seattle Internet startups by Alexa and Compete.com rankings. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 08, 2008, 6:18pm EDT
  

• Seattle's top Internet properties for August

  Sampa's Marcelo Calbucci offers his latest installment of the top Seattle Internet startups by Alexa and Compete.com rankings. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 08, 2008, 5:18pm EDT
  

• Findwell takes on Redfin in real estate

  Findwell is a new Seattle online real estate brokerage that is taking direct aim at Redfin, launching a service today that offers home buyers a 50 percent rebate on the buyer agent's commission. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 08, 2008, 12:31pm EDT
  

• Kelman: VCs need to think big again

  Redfin's Glenn Kelman offers his take on why venture capitalists are taking fewer risks in a blog post titled "Honey, I Shrunk the Startups." [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 08, 2008, 12:24pm EDT
  

• Findwell takes on Redfin in real estate

  Findwell is a new Seattle online real estate brokerage that is taking direct aim at Redfin, launching a service today that offers home buyers a 50 percent rebate on the buyer agent's commission. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 08, 2008, 11:31am EDT
  

• Kelman: VCs need to think big again

  Redfin's Glenn Kelman offers his take on why venture capitalists are taking fewer risks in a blog post titled "Honey, I Shrunk the Startups." [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 08, 2008, 11:24am EDT
  

• Can Zillow help struggling newspapers?

  The newspaper business is under siege, with jobs axed nearly every day (The New York Times today announced 550 cuts) and ad revenue shrinking by a whopping $3 billion during the first half of the year. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 08, 2008, 8:38am EDT
  

• Can Zillow help struggling newspapers?

  The newspaper business is under siege, with jobs axed nearly every day (The New York Times today announced 550 cuts) and ad revenue shrinking by a whopping $3 billion during the first half of the year. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 08, 2008, 7:38am EDT
  

• Paul Allen-backed Gist to offer e-mail service

  Gist, a new Seattle Internet startup backed by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, is emerging from stealth mode this week with a new e-mail service that is designed to help people better manage "information overload." [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 08, 2008, 1:01am EDT
  

• Paul Allen-backed Gist to offer e-mail service

  Gist, a new Seattle Internet startup backed by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, is emerging from stealth mode this week with a new e-mail service that is designed to help people better manage "information overload." [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 08, 2008, 12:01am EDT
  

• Profitable Tableau scores $10 million from NEA

  New Enterprise Associates must really like Tableau Software's prospects as the Silicon Valley venture capital powerhouse is pumping an additional $10 million into the Seattle startup. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 08, 2008, 9:01pm EDT
  

• Seinfeld and Gates ad set in a shoe store?

  It appears as if the highly-touted Microsoft advertising campaign has begun featuring Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 04, 2008, 6:41pm EDT
  

• Republican venture capitalists support Obama

  Two Seattle-area venture capitalists who have long supported Republican candidates are tossing their support behind presidential candidate Barack Obama. Bill Ruckelshaus, who led the Environmental Protection Agency in the Nixon and Reagan administrations and currently serves as a strategic director at Madrona Venture Group, said in a statement released today [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 03, 2008, 5:14pm EDT
  

• SecondSpace names new CEO, Pereira out

  Just three months after losing a key contract and cutting staff, Bellevue online real estate startup SecondSpace has announced that founder and chief executive Anil Pereira has left the company to "engage in new technology endeavors." [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 03, 2008, 12:29pm EDT
  

• Inrix expands in Europe with new hire

  Kirkland-based Inrix is making a big push into Europe with the announcement today that it has hired Hans-Hendrik Puvogel, formerly chief executive of Jentro Technologies, as the general manager of the company's new European headquarters in Dusseldorf, Germany. (Inrix announced several partnerships with European auto clubs earlier this year.) [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 03, 2008, 12:01am EDT
  

• AltaRock to tap geothermal energy in the west

  Just a few weeks after scoring a $26 million venture round, Altarock Energy has announced a deal to explore for potential geothermal energy sources on Weyerhaeuser land in Wasington, Oregon and California. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 02, 2008, 5:33pm EDT
  

• Doing my civic duty

  Posting will be relatively light this week on the blog as I have been chosen to serve on jury duty. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 02, 2008, 5:20pm EDT
  

• Exclusive: Paramount buying maker or SceneIt?

  Screenlife, maker of the popular DVD trivia game "SceneIt?", is being acquired by Viacom's Paramount unit in a deal for less than $100 million, according to a source familiar with the terms. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 29, 2008, 12:18pm EDT
  

• Microsoft buying Greenfield for $486 million

  Microsoft is paying $486 million for Greenfield Online, a Wilton, Conn.-based online survey and comparison shopping company. Greenfield also said it is pulling out of a merger agreement with Quadrangle Group and paying a $5 million termination fee. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 29, 2008, 7:07am EDT
  

• Monster: Great companies built for $100,000

  Rob Monster stirred the venture capital pot last summer when the entrepreneur-turned-angel investor launched Monster Venture Partners, saying at the time that venture capitalists deserved a "bad rap" for putting entrepreneurs in the "back corner." [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 28, 2008, 12:18pm EDT
  

• Blue Frog's Eisenberg turns to soda pop

  What career do you pursue after your mobile content company ends in tatters? [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 28, 2008, 10:56am EDT
  

• Roundup: Inrix, CultureMob, Airbiquity, etc.

  Bellevue-based Talyst, which scored $20 million in May for its pharmacy automation technology, has appointed Carla Corkern CEO. She held the interim CEO title after co-founder Jim Torina stepped down. Backed by OVP Venture Partners, Ignition Partners, AIG and others, Talyst hit some tough times with layoffs and executive departures. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 27, 2008, 4:39pm EDT
  

• Firm raises $135 million for Asian hospitals

  A Seattle firm by the name of Columbia Pacific has raised $135 million for an investment fund to build hospitals in India, Malaysia and Vietnam. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 27, 2008, 11:09am EDT
  

• Project management startup Daptiv raises $9 million

  Daptiv, the Seattle maker of online project management tools, has closed out a round of funding with an additional $9 million from Kennet Partners, Bay Partners and others. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 27, 2008, 9:29am EDT
  

• RadioFrame Networks lands $28 million

  RadioFrame Networks has pulled in $28 million in equity and debt financing, bringing total funding in the Redmond maker of telecommunications networking equipment to more than $100 million. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 27, 2008, 7:54am EDT
  

• Roundup: V2Green, Clearwire, JumpTap, etc.

  There's been a lot of chatter this week at the Democratic National Convention in Denver about reducing the country's dependence on foreign oil. Looking to take advantage of that rhetoric, Seattle startup V2Green is in Denver this week touting its software for helping utilities better manage power loads to plug-in [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 26, 2008, 3:43pm EDT
  

• Is Amazon conflicted in its Shelfari purchase?

  It is apparently a very busy day for Josh Hug. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 26, 2008, 1:42pm EDT
  

• Exclusive: Amazon.com buys Shelfari

  Amazon.com is buying Shelfari, the Seattle social networking startup for book lovers, according to sources with knowledge of the situation. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 25, 2008, 6:10pm EDT
  

• TripHub takes its last trip, closes doors

  TripHub, the Seattle online travel startup, has closed its doors. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 25, 2008, 5:48pm EDT
  

• Medio in possible search deal with Google, Verizon

  Medio Systems, the heavily-funded Seattle mobile search startup, could be part a new partnership between Google and Verizon to simplify the Internet search process on mobile phones, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 22, 2008, 9:29am EDT
  

• Classmates.com is moving to Seattle

  Classmates.com, which has been located in Renton for the past 13 years, will be moving its operations to Seattle next year in part to more easily attract software developers and other high-tech workers. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 22, 2008, 12:01am EDT
  

• Vengroff steps down from Pelago

  The co-founder and chief technology officer at Pelago -- the Seattle mobile social networking startup backed by Jeff Bezos, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and others -- has left the company for personal reasons. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 21, 2008, 2:36pm EDT
  

• Sandlot Games bakes success with Cake Mania, other titles

  When Daniel Bernstein founded Sandlot Games six years ago, there wasn't much to the casual games industry. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 21, 2008, 10:44am EDT
  

• Roundup: Jott, Jackson Fish, Goldberg, etc.

  TechCrunch takes a swipe at SocialMedian founder Jason Goldberg (formerly of Jobster) for posting a message on Twitter about raising a new round of funding, with Michael Arrington -- a former securities lawyer -- writing that the message violates the Securities Act of 1933 because it constitutes a public offering. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 21, 2008, 9:07am EDT
  

• Treemo feels pinch of Chinese censors

  Chinese Internet censorship -- in the news quite a bit since the start of the Olympics -- is having an impact on at least one Seattle startup. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 20, 2008, 4:38pm EDT
  

• Inc. 5000 has a few Seattle companies

  The Inc. 5,000 -- that's right they expanded the list from 500 -- was released today showcasing the fastest-growing privately held companies in the country. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 20, 2008, 12:39pm EDT
  

• Bill Gates tours the Canadian oilsands

  Could Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, who revolutionized the computer industry, be turning his focus to the global energy crisis? [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 20, 2008, 11:53am EDT
  

• Entellium cuts staff -- again

  Entellium has once again cut a small percentage of its workforce, a move that comes just two months after the maker of online customer relationship management software reduced headcount by 5 percent. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 20, 2008, 10:59am EDT
  

• Kawasaki: Is your boss crazy?

  Guy Kawasaki, the former Apple executive who is now an influential blogger, uses tools from David Eraker's new mental health site, Mindsite, to help people figure out if their boss is crazy. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 20, 2008, 10:41am EDT
  

• Roundup: Zillow vs. Trulia, Medio loses an exec, Konnects, etc.

  TechCrunch reports that the online real estate sites, Trulia and Zillow.com, are "holding up just fine" despite the real estate downturn. But the report also notes that Trulia has pulled ahead of Zillow in terms of traffic, with 2.4 million unique visitors to Zillow's 1.9 million in July. (They use [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 20, 2008, 10:01am EDT
  

• Former VC joins QL2 as CEO

  Russ Aldrich, the former director of Seattle venture capital firm Guide Ventures, has been named chief executive of QL2. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 20, 2008, 8:58am EDT
  

• Gnomedex 8.0 coming to Seattle

  Gnomedex 8.0 kicks off Thursday night in Seattle, bringing together a wide array of technology professionals, entrepreneurs, bloggers and others interested in the way things are evolving on the Internet. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 19, 2008, 5:46pm EDT
  

• SnapIn sells to Nuance for $180 million

  SnapIn Software, a Bellevue mobile software company that had raised about $24 million in venture capital, has agreed to be sold to Burlington, Mass.-based Nuance Communications for $180 million in stock. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 19, 2008, 3:22pm EDT
  

• Roundup: GotVoice, Kryptiq, Fluke, etc.

  Kirkland-based GotVoice, whose technology helps people better manage voice mail , has named Stephen Wu to the position of vice president of sales and business development. Wu previously worked at NextWave Wireless, The Carlyle Group's Asian Technology Funds and Microsoft. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 19, 2008, 2:11pm EDT
  

• New comedy site pokes fun at bad English

  TechCrunch has the details on a new comedy site from the folks who brought the world the famously ridiculous I Can Has Cheezburger Web site. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 19, 2008, 12:05pm EDT
  

• Google, Paul Allen, others sink $26 million in geothermal startup

  AltaRock Energy believes it can harvest energy by fracturing rocks deep below the earth's surface, using the heat from those rocks to create electricity. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 19, 2008, 10:29am EDT
  

• WidgetBucks hires former Marchex executive

  WidgetBucks, the online advertising network that scored $10 million in venture funding in June, has named Kirby Winfield to the new position of chief revenue officer. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 19, 2008, 9:35am EDT
  

• An overview of cloud computing

  P-I reporter Andrea James provides an overview of cloud computing, writing about the efforts of companies such as Amazon.com, IBM, Microsoft and Salesforce.com and quoting from recent talks by Steve Ballmer and Jeff Bezos about the trend. She writes: [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 19, 2008, 9:18am EDT
  

• "The most popular casual game of the 21st century"

  Seattle's PopCap today is releasing some very impressive numbers related to its Bejeweled video game franchise. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 19, 2008, 6:00am EDT
  

• Helping people find what they need on Google

  Google is by far the most used search engine in the U.S., with an estimated 7 billion search queries on the site last month. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 18, 2008, 7:47am EDT
  

• A 300-foot statue of Paul Allen?

  A petition is circulating to create a 300-foot tall satirical statue of Paul Allen in the Cascade neighborhood of Seattle, where the Microsoft co-founder is a major landowner, according to the P-I's Monica Guzman. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 15, 2008, 12:42pm EDT
  

• Action Engine on the brink?

  Changes appear to be afoot at Action Engine, the Bellevue mobile software company that as of last summer had raised a total of $65 million. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 15, 2008, 12:20pm EDT
  

• Amazon on list of worst "Web glitches" of 08

  Rafe Needleman puts together a list of the "10 Worst Web Glitches of 2008 (so far)" and Amazon.com has the unfortunate distinction of being mentioned twice for outages that occurred in February and June. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 15, 2008, 9:05am EDT
  

• Seattle venture capitalist to join Yahoo board

  A Seattle area venture capitalist and former wireless executive has been named to the board of Yahoo as part of a move to "ward off a proxy fight" with investor Carl Icahn, according to The Associated Press. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 15, 2008, 8:45am EDT
  

• Accelerator backs new biotech startup

  Accelerator Corp. is backing its ninth biotech startup, this time licensing technology developed by San Diego-based Nanogen Inc. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 15, 2008, 8:27am EDT
  

• Imperium loses key contract at Grays Harbor

  Problems continue to mount for Imperium Renewables, the Seattle biodiesel producer that opened a massive 100 million-gallon refinery in Grays Harbor County one year ago this week. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 14, 2008, 5:30pm EDT
  

• McCain outperforms Obama in kippah sales

  The Jewish vote for president typically leans heavily Democratic. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 14, 2008, 1:56pm EDT
  

• Should Washington do more to support clean tech? Entrepreneurs say yes

  What's it going to take to see more innovation around solar, biofuels and electric vehicles in this country? [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 14, 2008, 11:32am EDT
  

• Zillow unveils new local advertising tool

  Zillow.com is rolling out a new advertising service called Showcase Ads that lets real estate professionals, mortgage lenders and other service providers create targeted advertisements for people searching for homes in selected zip codes on the site. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 14, 2008, 8:47am EDT
  

• Maveron adds new partner

  Amy Errett, the former chief executive of lesbian travel site Olivia.com, has been named the latest partner at Seattle venture capital firm Maveron. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 14, 2008, 12:01am EDT
  

• Redfin unveils new Web site features

  Redfin today launched a new version of the online real estate Web site, including statistical information so consumers can see specific trends in individual neighborhoods. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 13, 2008, 11:37am EDT
  

• Roundup: Roost, Omeros, BigScreenLive, etc.

  Seattle biotechnology company Omeros Corp. has named David Mann -- the former chief financial officer at Immunex -- to the board of directors. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 13, 2008, 11:20am EDT
  

• Former Microsoft workers start medical software startup

  The P-I's Joe Tartakoff covers Redmond-based FiatLux Imaging, which today is introducing new software that allows doctors to view MRI and CT scans on personal computers and mobile devices. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 13, 2008, 11:04am EDT
  

• Graves leaves Maveron, joins Pinkberry as CEO

  Pinkberry, the frozen yogurt chain with locations in California and New York, has named Ron Graves of Maveron as the new chief executive. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 13, 2008, 9:40am EDT
  

• UW spins out algae biofuel technology

  The University of Washington is spinning out technology from the lab of biology professor Rose Ann Cattolico into a new company called AXI. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 12, 2008, 10:42am EDT
  

• Roundup: SinglePoint at Olympics, Infinia, T-Mobile app store, etc.

  Gawker says Amazon.com's Kindle is the "Sasquatch of the book world," noting that few people have been spotted using the $400 electronic book reader. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 12, 2008, 8:43am EDT
  

• Go to Rhode Island for fast Internet, skip Alaska

  Rhode Island leads the nation in Internet connection speeds, boasting a median download speed of 6.8 megabits per second, according to a report from the Communications Workers of America. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 12, 2008, 8:24am EDT
  

• Craig McCaw backs personalized news service

  Eagle River Holdings, the private investment firm of wireless billionaire Craig McCaw, has led an investment in personalized news service 1Cast. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 12, 2008, 9:01pm EDT
  

• GalleryPlayer shuts doors on digital artwork

  It appears that GalleryPlayer, the Seattle startup that allowed consumers to display high quality art work on digital screens, has shut down. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 11, 2008, 5:19pm EDT
  

• Seattle Web 2.0 list tops 300 startups

  Marcelo Calbucci continues to add new startup companies to his Web 2.0 list, now with more than 300 names. Calbucci notes that Frugal Mechanic (up 84), Tatango (up 77) and Smart Desktop (up 67) had a good month of July. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 08, 2008, 2:56pm EDT
  

• Roundup: Whitepages, renewable energy grad, etc.

  There's been another change in the executive ranks at Whitepages.com, with Craig Paris promoted to the vice president of advertising sales. Paris replaces Derek Netelenbos, who is leaving the Seattle online directory after six years to join Seattle startup Local Marketers. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 08, 2008, 7:03am EDT
  

• Clearwire's revenue and losses grow

  Clearwire's revenue increased by 65 percent to $58.6 million in the second quarter, but the Kirkland broadband wireless provider also reported a net loss of $199.1 million. That compared to a net loss of $118 million for the same period last year. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 07, 2008, 5:53pm EDT
  

• Pink slips spur entrepreneurs

  Nathan Casey doesn't think of himself as a big risk taker. But when word came last winter that he would be losing his vice president job at Washington Mutual, the 27-year-old newlywed decided the time was right to take the startup plunge. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 07, 2008, 3:11pm EDT
  

• Figuring startup valuations with YouNoodle

  Can a Web site accurately predict the valuations of startup companies? [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 07, 2008, 8:46am EDT
  

• Do layoffs spur entrepreneurial activity?

  I am working on a story about the sour economy and whether layoffs spur entrepreneurial ventures. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 06, 2008, 3:50pm EDT
  

• Should Microsoft follow in Y Combinator's footsteps?

  Following up on a post from last week, Blist founder Kevin Merritt offers more reasons why Microsoft should start a small investment vehicle modeled on the Internet incubator Y Combinator. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 06, 2008, 12:28pm EDT
  

• Web 2.0 entrepreneurs on top of Mt. Rainier

  Scaling Washington state's tallest mountain and starting a new entrepreneurial venture share a few things in common. Both are risky ventures that require preparation, hard work and determination. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 06, 2008, 10:03am EDT
  

• ReliOn makes changes to board

  Spokane-based ReliOn, whose fuel cells are used for backup power, has named Kent Harrison and Richard Wolf to the board. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 06, 2008, 7:16am EDT
  

• Novo Nordisk adds spark to Seattle biotech

  There's been plenty of bad news in the Seattle life science industry lately, with companies such as MDRNA, Amgen and Northstar Neuroscience cutting staff. So, Joe Tartakoff's report that Novo Nordisk plans to hire as many as 80 employees for a new research and development center here should be welcome [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 06, 2008, 9:50pm EDT
  

• Marchex's profit, revenue increase in Q2

  Marchex, the local search and advertising company led by former Go2Net executives, today reported revenue of $37.4 million and net income of $509,000 for the second quarter. That compares to revenue of $34.7 million and net income of $354,000 for the same period last year. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 05, 2008, 1:54pm EDT